Analysis of January--A Portrait--by Fran McClelland
Frances Elizabeth McClelland 1951 (Trenton NJ)
Barren branches reach toward the steel-gray sky,
the air whistles through them as they sway;
Touching each other with a crackling sound,
as moaning calls of winter birds obey.
With each move these tender limbs try,
to hold themselves up with honor;
Yet as wind-gusts snap twigs to solid ground,
this scene can appear to us in horror.
Why now has Nature turned so bold and brave,
while January's nesting and resting starts ?
Its darkness looms with grave concerns,
for every lonesome and solitary heart.
And the whirling frost will paint its pictures,
along the cabin's windowsills each night;
The once fiery hearth seems weak and weary,
as the force of numbing cold begins to bite.
It was quite different when we lived farther south,
with memories faded and lost from years ago;
But now we stumble over towers of icy hills,
and plow our way through fields of snow.
The strong would survive the wicked winds,
the remaining folks just fade away;
Yet when we hold each others' hands,
our deepest misery blows far astray.
Remember the elders on the farm,
telling stories of such reckless seasons;
Their courage and wisdom brightened our world,
for them--life's challenges had their reasons.
Huddled together in our woolen shawls,
with my loving family close at hand;
I pray to the Lord that we all survive,
the bleakness of this cold and bitter land.
Scheme | ABCB ADCD XXXX XEXE XFXF XBXB XGXG XHXH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (88%) |
Metre | 10101010111 011011111 1011010101 1101110101 11111011 11011110 1111111101 1110111010 1111011101 1100100101 11011101 11001001001 0010111110 0101111 01100111010 10111010111 111100111101 110010011101 1111010101101 011011111 011010101 001011101 11111101 10101001101 010010101 1010111010 11001010101 1111001110 10010010101 1110100111 1110111101 0101110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,354 |
Words | 269 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 134 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 29 |
About this poem
Inspired by the "Little House" series of autobiographical books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
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"January--A Portrait--by Fran McClelland" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/178266/january--a-portrait--by-fran-mcclelland>.
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